Improvement in furnaces for the manufacture of oxide of zinc



l J. G. LANG.. Furnaces for the Manufacture of Oxide of Zinc.

,N03 14g-2,57]I 4 v Patented September9,l873.

UNITED STATES ATEN'r OFFICE..

JOHN e. LANG, or rirrsBURe, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRNACES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OFOXIDE 0F ZINC.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Nomi/12,571, dated September 9, 1873 application iled August 16, 1873.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, JOHN Gr. LANG, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furnace for the Manufacture of Oxide of Zinc and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in furnace, hereinafter described, for the manufacture of the oxide of zinc, the operation of whichis adapted to the nature of spelter, which,

when heated to a bright red heat with air present, boils, burns, and volatilizes, thereby generating the oxide of `zinc.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of my specification, Figure l'is a side elevation of Amy improvement in furnace for the manufacture of the oxide of zinc. Fig. 2 is a vertical and transverse section of the same at line x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical and longitudinal section of the same at line y of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents the furnace, which forcompactness, economy of room, and efficiency in its operation, is divided into three compartments, viz., lire chamber, workingchamber, and condensingchamber, all arranged consecutively over each other in the order named, so that the arch or roof w of thev fire-chamber E forms the floor of the workingchamber C, and the arch or roof of the workf in g-chamber G forms the floor ot' the condensing-chamber B. The fire-chamber E is provided with an ash-pit, S, grate It, and communicates with the working-chamber C through the medium of flue a. The working-chamber U is furnished with a flue, D, having a sliding damper, Z, and in the sides and rear end of the chamber are arranged a series of working and air holes, f, furnished with doors for closing them. By this arrangement of the working and air holes in the working-chamber the operator can admit air into it at ditt'erentpoints,

' and he is enabled to reach all parts of the chamber with ease, for the purpose of manipworking and air holes f, to control the boiling, burning, and volatilizing of the spelter, which often boils, burns, and volatilzes more in one part than inv other parts of the Working-chamber, for if he nds that the boiling, burning, and volatilizin g -process is greater in one part than in another part of the chamber he can close the openings f in the part. of the chamber Where the generating process is too rapid., and open the holes f at or near the point Where more air and work are needed, and thus cause a uniform operation in the boiling, burning, and volatilizing of the spelter in all parts of the working-chamber C. The Vcondensing-chamber B is provided with a door, h, andiiue o having a damper, g, for controlling the draft. The Iiue o is used for the purpose of carrying off the uncondensed gases from chamber B, and also for the purpose of facilitating the cooling of the chamber when the door l1J is opened for the removal of the oxide of zinc from the bags N attached to the under side of the condensing-cylinder M suspended in the chamber B. The cylinder M communicates with the working-chamber C through the medium of the pipe J, the lower end of which enters the side of the flue D below the damper Z and near the vbottom of the working-chamber C, whereby'the volatilized products of the spelter readily enter the pipe J, and are carried up through it into the cyl; inder M by the current of air, which, entering the openings f and rushing over the burning spelter, enters the pipe J, carrying with it the volatilized products into the cylinder M, where they are condensed, and fall into the bags N in the form of oxide of zinc.

The operation of thefurnace is breiiy stated, as follows: The tire is made on the grate R. The damper l of the iiue D is drawn out to give a free draft. The spelter is placed through openings f on the floor w of the .workingchamber. The re acting on the under side of the door w heats it, and passing along through the iiue a enters the working-chamber C, passing over and acting upon the speltcr, which soon melts, which will then begin to boil, and by opening one `or more of the openings f,

whereby air is admitted, it will cause the highly -heated and boiling spelter to burn, Whichthereby volatilizes and generates the oxide, which is carried into the pipe J, and from it into the cylinder M, in the manner and by the means hereinbefore described. The heat of the re acting against the under side of the oor fw, and then passing into the Workin g-chamber, and again acting on the spelter, will greatly increase the efficiency of the furnace and economize fuel. The operator must take carc to close the damper l and cnt off the draft of the ine D as soon as the boiling and burning zinc begins to volatilize, otherwise the desired products will pass off through the ue D.

The advantages of my improvement consist in the compactness of the furnace, thereby economizing room, and in its efficiency in generating the oxide of zinc from the spelter by applying the heat below and above the spelter, and in the means described for carrying off the volatilized products as fast as generated to the condensing-chamber, and also in the economy of fuel, Wh ich, through the peculiar construction of the furnace, is so utilized as to gain its best results on the spelter, for the purpose statedto Wit, the manufacture of the oxide of zinc from the spelter.

Havingthus described the nature, construction, and operation of my improvement, what I claim as of my invention, is

The furnace, hereinbefore described, consisting of the rire-chamber E, the workin gchamber C provided with Work-holes f and ue D, and the condensing-chamber B having a collecting and condensing cylinder, M, the several parts being combined and relatively arranged as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN G. LANG. Witnesses:

JAMES D. JONES, A. G. JOHNSTON. 

